Labrador Retriever Forum:
What do you think?

I have a friend who has a eight month old male yellow lab. Lately he has been limping around alot. At first they thought it was because he was over working himself playing ball. I have a 4 year old weim and we can play ball 4 hours a day and he never limps. Could it be a start of hip dysplasia or another serious problem? I just do not believe that a 8 month old puppy should be having these sorts of problems. Any advice is very helpful and appreciated!!!

I had the same problem with my 10 month old lab and took him to the vet and they said that it was more than likely his hips and that it could show up this early in some dogs because of their size.. he's not fat at all, but a big dog..10 months old and 73 pounds. If I were her, I would have him/hre examined. I hate it that at such a young age they have to be in pain.. but at least if it IS that she can get him on some medicine. On another note... if he romps alot, it could just be that he's sore.. that has happened quite a bit with our bloodhound who romps with our lab and chases horses!! Good luck to your friend, I hope she gets some answers so she can treat it properly!

as with any young dog, you must allow the bones to set, just as you would with a child. bigger the bred the more appt, it is to have damage when you allow pups, and a lab is considered a pup up till at least 18 mths. old. you would not allow a child to jump from a high porch or from a rock cliff, so why take the chance with your pet. it has become proven fact not only is hip disp. also possible by breeding poor genes, but also by allowing dangerous play. jessiemae kennels

My Rottweiler (who is now at rainboe bridge) had the same exact problem that set in around 8 month old. Xrays at that point identified CHD even though he was a little young to diagnos. As he got older and with preventive measures like diet, natural supplements, and puppy physical therapy he of course still had the disease, but never suffered from it. His case was bad too; 3 seperate vets and two vet schools told me it was the worst they had ever seen, but i was determined to keep him out of pain///there are so many therapies both medical and natural that can be done so tell your friend to visit their vet and get what possible diagnosis they can at this point and then research different treatments. A CHD dog can live a long painfree life! Good Luck to your friend!

i have a 8 month lab and he has a limp also,i think he hurt it playing.going to check it out.does not seem to hurt him.dana

hi my lab has a limp in her front legs if she plays hard.he is 8 months and i`,m not to worried.my rottie was like that also and when he turned a year it was gone.dana

Sorry bad hips. You should contact the breeder so he don\'t breed his dog anymore. One thing my lab had bad hips and eye\'s so we couldn\'t breed her but she lived for 13yr\'s. The bad new is she past away yesterday 8/2/09. Her name was Jamie. Good luck with your Lab